


steal the keys to my heart

by talkingtothesky



Category: Original Work
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Betrayal, Closet Sex, F/F, Happy Ending, Lesbians in Space, Loyalty, Military Uniforms, Quiet Sex, Rivals With Benefits, Space Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 23:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10627404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkingtothesky/pseuds/talkingtothesky
Summary: Lora steals rocketships for a living. Trilli has been tasked with hunting her down. But emotion conflicts with duty, and both their worlds are about to change.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/gifts).



Trilli landed against the ship's hull almost silently. The magnets in her vari-grav boots locked onto the panelling next to an escape hatch, just as she'd planned. Inside her space suit, she caught both her breath and her balance, then reached down to open the hatch. This took some effort but very little time: the retractable automatic circular saw in the palm of her suit glove made quick work of the bolts and hinges.

 

Before she jumped inside, she double-checked the scanner: Lora's life sign and heat signatures were still exactly where she'd expected. For a supposedly rugged, badass pirate, she spent way too much time watching the holo programming. Her indulgence was soon going to play to Trilli's advantage - she fully intended to collect on that bounty, this time.

 

Trilli swung the door open. She had exactly twelve seconds before the ship would depressurize. She made it inside and pulled the hatch closed behind her swiftly. She landed heavily on the metal grating. For a moment her boots stuck fast, rendering her unable to walk. The magnetic field was stronger here than on the outside of the ship. She had to crouch down to switch the magnetism to a lower setting on each boot.

 

When she straightened up, there was Lora. Pointing a laser gun at her, as usual.

 

Moving slowly, palms up, Trilli removed her helmet, dropping it on the floor at her feet. "It's only me," she reassured, with a charming smile.

 

Lora sighed. She lowered the gun abruptly, tucking it into her tool belt, back in its special pouch at her hip. "You again, huh? Some people just don't know when to quit."

 

Trilli shrugged. "I mean it this time. I will bring you in."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because it's my job."

 

"So get a new job."

 

They were already falling into old patterns, familiar banter. This was bad. Trilli affected a frown, and took a step forward. She reached for her cuffs. "Will you come quietly?"

 

Lora smirked. "We both know _you_ are the screamer."

 

Trilli wished she hadn't taken off her helmet. She knew Lora could see the blush on her face, creeping down under her collar, inside the warm suit. The air onboard the ship was positively tropical. No wonder Lora had considered it worth stealing.

 

A faint electric hum, a flash of light. Trilli ducked just in time. She grabbed for her helmet but her thickly gloved fingers only sent it rolling away from her. It toppled out of sight.

 

In her peripheral vision, Lora was spinning in place, her gun out again, returning fire at the new addition on the deck.

 

"Run!" She yelled, dragging Trilli to her feet and rushing her along in the opposite direction. She continued to fire over her own shoulder as they ran.

 

Trilli did not catch a momentary glimpse of the third person until Lora spun her around and forced her into a small crawlspace, usually meant for maintenance robots. They were wearing a full suit of armour, no weaknesses apart from the eyeholes and the overall weight slowed their attacker down. But even from a distance, the laser gun was accurate.

 

Lora got the gate shut behind them just in time.

 

Inside it was dark, and close, and hard to breathe. Lora curled up behind her, head near the base of Trilli's spine.

 

“Who’s _shooting_ at us?” Trilli hissed, but Lora put her hand over Trilli’s mouth and tucked herself in close.

 

Seconds later there was the hiss and crackle of a blowtorch. Sparks flickered around the edges of the closed door.

 

They watched as the metal began to heat up, and then glow.

 

Trilli slapped Lora’s hand away from her mouth and wriggled around in the cramped space, trying to get her other arm out from under her. Her suit was too bulky to move easily. She finally managed to look at her left forearm. The computer in the suit’s sleeve was giving off multiple hazard warnings. Trilli frantically cancelled them all. She flipped to the schematic of Lora’s ship: the screen now showed three heat signatures. How had she missed this?

 

Didn’t matter now. They were going to be fried to a crisp if she didn’t get them out of here. Lora was wrapping her arms around her waist, her body between Trilli and the door, trying to shield her from the heat.

 

Yet more danger alerts were flooding the screen. Trilli bypassed them again, and finally got the right tool open. Power to the teleport was reading at less than one bar: they might not make it. But screw it, she had to try. The nearest planet was only just within range.

 

The metal was buckling, bubbling and bending inward, until a tiny hole appeared. 

 

Trilli’s computer was still warning her about the suit’s lack of integrity without her helmet. It wasn’t advisable to teleport without it. She didn’t have a choice.

 

“Hold on tight,” she told Lora, and keyed in the sequence to take them down to the planet.

 

\---

 

Lora opened her eyes to find she was still in the dark. She felt dizzier than the time she drank twenty-seven Pomirra Brainmashers. She closed her eyes again and passed out for a short while.

 

She came round again because someone was shaking her.

 

“Lora. Lora!” It took her an embarrassingly long moment to recognize Trilli’s voice.

 

“Hmmm. Where are we? You alright?”

 

“I’m fine. We seem to be in a closet.” Came the slightly sheepish response. Lora could see her face now, lit up by the light of her pale blue screen again.

 

Lora stretched her legs and something gave way under her boot. It was the brush of a broom: she watched as the long handle started to topple towards her…and then Trilli’s hand shot out and caught it. “Careful.” She stood it upright again, out of Lora’s reach.

 

“This isn’t my ship,” Lora said. She’d never own a broom in a million years.

 

“No, we made it onto Alderbar.” Trilli lifted her arm and waved it from side to side, illuminating their surroundings. Close to her face, Lora could make out the hems of fur coats and sheer dresses, and on her right were double doors. 

 

“Fancy getting out of here?” Trilli asked.

 

Lora tried to sit up straighter. The wall was propping her up. “Yeah. I think I can stand…”

 

They linked hands and steadied each other as they got to their feet. Lora resisted the urge to wrap her arms around Trilli and stay here with her in the dark.

 

They opened the doors onto an opulent bedroom. A large bed dominated the space, the cream and apricot-colored covers turned down invitingly. Soft thin drapes hung from the high bedposts, a multitude of cushions scattered on the floor. The surface of a vanity dresser laden with all kinds of make-up. Another closet, with double doors identical to the ones they were standing between. An old menial robot stood dormant in the corner, ready to hang up clothes once instructed to do so.

 

Lora stepped out onto the plush carpet, but the moment she did so, a door across the room opened. It banged against the wall: one Alderbaran lady was pinning another woman against the wood, their blouses in disarray.

 

Lora and Trilli retreated inside the closet and locked themselves away before they could be spotted. Through the tiny gap between the doors, they watched the women snogging fiercely, kicking heels off, and making their way to the bed. 

 

Lora thought they could probably sneak past them if they crawled along the ground…the two women were plenty occupied with each other, they wouldn’t notice if a pirate and a peace officer emerged from their wardrobe, surely.

 

But Trilli had other ideas. She took Lora’s hands in her own, then placed them against her breasts. She’d peeled off her thick space suit, the inbuilt computer switched off, so Lora couldn’t see her face in blue light anymore. From outside the wardrobe doors, she could hear the sounds of wet kisses, appreciative moans, fabric tearing, that large bed being rolled around on enthusiastically.

 

She felt Trilli’s breath on her face, the hardening nubs of her nipples under Lora’s fingers. They kissed, in the dark, surrounded by coats and dresses. There wasn’t time to talk about it - there never was, when they hooked up. Unlike the women on the bed, they would have to be quiet, to avoid discovery.

 

Lora swayed closer, trying to press her hips against Trilli’s. Her left hand left Trilli’s breast to cup the back of her neck. She held her, tilted her head, kissed her more deeply. Her right thumb traced tight circles through Trilli’s undershirt, her fingers lifting, squeezing, weighing.

 

Trilli’s hands went for Lora’s belt. Lora wanted to protest - her gun was there! - but Trilli unfastened and set it down soundlessly atop her padded suit piled on the closet floor. Lora’s thighs pressed together as Trilli unbuttoned her tight trousers, sticky warmth already beginning to seep between her legs. She could feel Trilli’s heart pounding with excitement under her fumbling hand, and her own sped up to match it.

 

Outside in the room beyond, the Alderbaran ladies were giving each other instructions, murmuring endearments. A sudden thwack and a broken gasp made Trilli tense, but then quiet laughter followed, the sounds of more kissing.

 

Lora dropped her hand, pushed up the hem of Trilli’s top, seeking skin contact. She stroked her ribs, her side, tickled her lower back.

 

Trilli’s hands groped at her butt, and they rocked together in the confines of the closet, bumping hips sparking nerve endings, awkwardly treading on each other’s toes and easing off, all without making a sound.

 

The noises from the bed kept growing louder. One of the women sighed, evidently so content and full of pleasure that the sound brought heat to Lora’s cheeks.

 

Trilli shoved down Lora’s pants to mid-thigh, just enough for access, and pushed two long fingers up against her, stroking between her legs. Lora’s knees weakened. She took a wider stance, and buried her face in Trilli’s cleavage to stifle her own gasp. Trilli knew her just well enough by now to get her off with unerring accuracy. Her fingers moved quickly and firmly, Lora rocking her hips as much as she dared but mostly pressing herself as close as she could to Trilli’s warmth. Then Trilli hooked two fingers deep inside her, ground her thumb against her clit. Lora came with a grunt - too loud, too loud! - but luckily the women in the bed were making far too much noise of their own to notice.

 

With her free hand, Trilli lifted Lora’s chin so she could kiss her cheek, chuckling in her ear. Lora felt aftershocks shudder through her, pressing forward to give Trilli a serious, deep kiss. By the time they broke apart, Trilli had slid her damp fingers out, and Lora was sinking to her knees. 

 

Now it was her turn to make Trilli hold onto her moans. Trilli was naturally more vocal than Lora, and she liked to tease her about it. Lora enjoyed holding onto her slim hips while Trilli shivered and convulsed on her tongue. Trilli’s fingers ran through Lora’s hair, clutched at her head, pressed on the back of her neck to bring her closer. Lora wished there was more light so she could better see Trilli biting her lip.

 

When Trilli reached her peak, she managed not to scream, but she did lose her footing. Lora tried to catch her as she swayed sideways into the rack of coats and dresses. Suddenly having to support Trilli’s weight, the clothes hangers screeched on the pole.

 

They both froze in place, listening for any sign that they had been noticed, but the women must have put it down to the squeak of bedsprings. As the tension eased, Lora muffled her giggles against the smooth skin of Trilli’s inner thigh.

 

Trilli gradually collapsed more or less on top of her, feeling her way through the dark. Lora shuffled so her back was against the wall again, in the same position she had woken up after the teleport. Trilli lay on her side, her back to the closet doors, their legs entwined. Lora held her in her arms and listened to the other two finish each other off, trying not to laugh at the sounds they made. 

 

For a while, all was quiet. Lora almost drifted off to sleep, comforted by Trilli’s weight on her side. Then gradually the women began murmuring to each other in language that meant nothing to Lora. Movement, footsteps on the floor. A shadow passed right in front of their hiding place, and Lora almost panicked. Her instinct was to reach for Trilli’s teleport thing and try to get them out of here before the owners of this closet tried to change into clean clothes.

 

But Trilli kept her in place, and the shadow moved away. 

 

Once they were out of the room, Trilli whispered: “They’ve gone to share a shower.”

 

Lora glanced in her direction, unsure.

 

Trilli sounded amused. “You don’t speak Alderbaran?”

 

With a shrug, Lora deferred to Trilli’s knowledge.

 

They got up and dressed themselves.

 

Trilli gave Lora back her tool belt with her gun and picked up her space suit, squashing it down until she could carry it over one arm.

 

They pushed open the doors. The coast was clear. The bed was completely rumpled. Lora tried not to look too closely at it as she tiptoed out of the bedroom, holding tight to Trilli’s hand.

 

The house was a maze of rooms with locked doors. The teleport’s power was still depleted so they would have to make their escape on foot. Trilli consulted the screen on the arm of the suit for the best way out. They eventually found it, without alerting the people whose home they had crashed.

 

Outside on the street, Alderbar’s night sky was lit by three moons. They walked along until they reached the end of the road. Then Trilli let go of Lora’s hand. Lora turned in towards her, half-expecting to be kissed. And Trilli did put her arms around her waist, but only to slide Lora’s gun free of its holster.

 

She had it pressed to Lora’s temple before she could stop her.

 

“Hands behind your back.”

 

Lora didn’t think Trilli would really shoot her. She was meant to be a peaceful person, after all.

 

Her hesitation gave Trilli time to say “What, you thought I’d forgotten? I still need to arrest you.”

 

Lora slowly shook her head, outraged. “Seriously? After everything that _just_ happened?” Reluctantly, she folded her hands behind herself. She could try to run, but what was the point, really?

 

Trilli got out her cuffs. They attached themselves to Lora’s wrists automatically. The gun came away from her head but it was still trained on her.

 

Trilli took a couple of steps back, putting distance between them. Lora stared into her eyes and saw that they were full of tears, but no shame. This was her job, after all.

 

The quiet of the residential street was broken by the sound of engines. A column of blue light descended and trapped Lora. She didn’t struggle as the gravity well plucked her off the ground and carried her up into the ship. She simply watched Trilli’s form growing smaller and smaller beneath her in the night.

 

\---

 

The Intergalactic Peace Corporation were in the business of keeping everybody safe, or so they claimed. As far as Lora was concerned, they were a bunch of jumped-up bureaucrats with absolutely no real power at all. They never intervened in wars. You’d think they would, given their name. Instead they contented themselves with making sure no-one stuck in poverty tried to get rich by stealing stuff.

 

And that was exactly what pirates like Lora had sworn to do with their lives.

 

Lora had been on their wanted list for a while now. She wasn’t anywhere near the top, not headline news, but she wasn’t small-fry either. There was a bounty on her head, dead or alive. She had made herself just troublesome enough to be worth capturing.

 

But Trilli had covered for her, the first time they met. Even though they ought to have been sworn enemies, Trilli had made Lora feel safe for the first time in her life.

 

Betrayal was a big part of any pirate’s lot. Lora had done it herself countless times. She understood it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

 

When they landed at IPC Base, Lora was escorted off the ship by five identical robot soldiers, all of them programmed not to listen to a word she said. That was fine. She wasn’t in a talkative mood anyway.

 

They marched her down endless blank corridors. Then the robots handed her over to flesh-and-blood guards for processing. Lora was subjected to a barrage of retinal scans and DNA extractions and holophotos. She kept her mouth shut for most of it, but by the time they progressed to the paperwork she was getting really bored. Presented with a stack of consent forms, she dared to ask “What if I don’t sign?”

 

One of the guards advanced on her. “You have to sign.” His breath was atrocious. And Lora thought that - as a pirate who dealt with other pirates on a daily basis. She knew about bad breath.

 

They took her clothes and replaced them with a bright green prison jumpsuit. Then she was led into a glass-walled interview room and told to wait.

 

She sat at the table in the middle of the room and watched. Robot guards, intel agents, processing attendants and handcuffed prisoners walked (or hovered, or rolled) to and fro in her field of vision. All the rooms were glass, as far as the eye could see. High above the cubicles, the ceilings and walls of the cavernous space had been haphazardly chiselled out of rock. 

 

A young, tall Riljur with a pointy nose came in and sat opposite her, closing the door as they entered. It seemed pointless to have doors, with the air above them so open.

 

They dropped a thick file on the table and began to read from it in a bored voice. “Lora Kharsack. Parents and siblings deceased, no fixed residence, no lawful employment, no sanctified marriage, no gang affiliations, no starship licence, no integrated birthdate matrix, no meaningful friendships.” That last, she assumed, was not written down, merely ad-libbed. The Riljur gave a sanctimonious tut. “What have you been doing with your life, Lora?”

 

Lora kicked her feet up on the table and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms.

 

Pointy Nose smiled as though they had been expecting that. “No matter. There’s quite a list here. Three thousand counts of grand larceny, mainly rocketships and other transportation devices, precious gems, artwork, entertainment systems, food and drink…oh, and a dozen hostages. We’re not much interested in those, PFAB will come and have a word with you at some point.”

 

PFAB stood for People For A Brighter Future. They always left off the last letter because the acronym was rubbish. That agency didn’t do much to physically help people in need either, they just handled hostage negotiations. Badly.

 

Lora had resolved to keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t resist. “Is that all you can pin on me?” 

 

“Dellum?” Pointy Nose looked round at their name. The door was open and Trilli was there. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, a frown on her face. Pointy Nose got up, took their file with them, and left without another word. Lora took her feet off the table and sat up straight.

 

Trilli looked good in the peace officer uniform. Lora had pretty much always had a thing for girls in military uniform, ever since her first soldier girlfriend back on her birth planet, Hasalrague.

 

She supposed anything was more flattering than a bulky space suit. But Lora had fallen for Trilli while she was wearing that anyway.

 

Trilli sat down across the table, face pinched, as though she were preparing to eat a bowl of poisonous worms.

 

Lora leaned towards her, head cocked. “So you finally did it, huh? How’s your conscience?”

 

Trilli didn’t back away or duck in closer. “Perfectly clear. I never lied to you about what my intentions were.”

 

Lora snorted. “You seemed not to be able to go through with it.” But that was her play, wasn’t it. That was the whole point.

 

There was a surprising vulnerability in what Trilli said next. “I couldn’t, at first. Then I got braver.”

 

Lora had been approached by beautiful women before, who had pretended to be starship mechanics or traders or tourists. She had seen through all of them, easily shaken off their tails. Whereas Trilli had flat out admitted who she was. Her honesty had amused Lora. When cornered and under pressure, she seemed incapable of lying. There was no need to pretend to have skills or knowledge she didn’t already possess. Even while angry with her, Lora had to respect that Trilli’s strategy had worked.

 

Trilli was watching her process her emotions. There was a hint of a fond smile on her face. Lora did not like that Trilli still got to look at her fondly.

 

“Who was it, that attacked us on your ship?” Trilli asked.

 

It might have seemed like she was merely curious, but Lora understood that this was part of the interview now. If she didn’t give up the attacker’s identity (regardless of whether she knew them or not), she’d be charged with accessory to assault on a peace officer.

 

“That was Grent Sepinksi, another pirate.” Had it been Pointy Nose or anyone else asking the question, Lora would have admitted the name only. But as it was Trilli, she was going to cooperate fully. She added: “I may have stolen his wife’s jewellery box. Which happened to contain some diamonds he was planning to sell.”

 

Trilli looked surprised but pleased with the admission. “I see.” She took out a Holonote and typed something in. “And where are they now?”

 

“My ship. Your lot captured it, right?”

 

Trilli nodded. “We did. Whereabouts on your ship?”

 

Lora waggled her fingers vaguely in the air. “Taped above the holo projector. Unless he took them before he came after us.”

 

Trilli typed another note then slipped the device back into her breast pocket. “Our cameras show that after he melted the door enough to determine our hiding place was empty, he ransacked the ship but left empty-handed.”

 

Lora inwardly congratulated herself for getting one over on him. That, at least, was a fitting end to her career. “Good. Well, you’re welcome to the diamonds. I won’t be needing them where I’m going.” Because this was how IPC made money. By selling the stolen goods they imprisoned pirates for acquiring.

 

Trilli was silent for several beats. “I _am_ sorry about this,” she said, in an undertone.

 

Lora shook her head, snorting. “No, you’re not. Still. We had fun, didn’t we? Or were you acting the entire time?”

 

A flush appeared on Trilli’s neck again. “I wasn’t acting.”

 

“No?”

 

“Really, I wasn’t.”

 

“Okay, I believe you. Don’t know why, but I do.”

 

Trilli’s response to that ridiculous statement was to reach out and trace the back of her fingers down Lora’s cheek. Lora did not back away from the gentle touch, realizing it would be their last.

 

Trilli rested both her hands on top of Lora’s and squeezed them. “I wish you the best of luck in prison.” She stood up and walked out without looking back. Lora watched her go with tears swimming in her eyes, then looked down at the tiny square of folded paper which Trilli had deftly pressed into her palm. Lora unfolded it under the table. It read: _I_ _’m lying to them, not you._

 

\---

 

Lora didn’t put much thought into the note. It didn’t matter who she had lied to. There was nothing Trilli could do, now that she had set the ball rolling.

 

Another guard escorted Lora to a holding cell, where she would wait until it was time to go get her head shaved. All prisoners routinely had their hair cut off. It wasn’t only about stripping them of their dignity. It made it easier to insert the tracking implant at the base of the skull. Lora knew someone once, who managed to escape only to be hunted down and recaptured, because IPC had been able to locate the implant.

 

They also tended to (accidentally on purpose) wipe your memories while they were at it. So Lora passed the time she had left in her cell with her eyes closed. Thinking of the family she had lost, and the weight of Trilli’s breasts in her hands, and her favourite holoshows.

 

At the scraping of keys in the lock, she opened her eyes and followed instructions. She expected to be taken to the medical wing along with a batch of other new intakes, but instead the guard took her off down a route on her own.

 

She tried to ask him what was going on, but he was unresponsive. Lora thought perhaps one of her enemies was plotting to have her killed.

 

They passed several photocopying and training departments before finally, the guard led her to a well-hidden gate and left her alone.

 

Definitely suspicious.

 

Lora yanked at the gate, hampered by her handcuffs, but it didn’t budge. She hadn’t expected it to.

 

Suddenly her shoulder was grabbed. Lora reacted defensively, driving her elbow into her attacker’s face.

 

But when she spun around, it was Trilli. She put a hand over Lora’s mouth and ordered: “Not a word.”

 

Lora gaped at her. What was she _doing_?

 

There wasn’t time to consider it.

 

As they half-walked, half-ran, Trilli unlocked Lora’s cuffs and tossed them away. They could move faster then, Lora clinging tightly to Trilli’s hand which was damp with nervous sweat.

 

On the way, Trilli ducked into the staff room of one of the shaving labs, currently deserted. She came out again and unceremoniously disguised Lora in a hat and a lab coat. They marched on, by some miracle completely unchallenged.

 

Trilli had lost it if she thought she was getting Lora out of here. Why had she even arrested her in the first place?

 

But she was deadly serious. Her officer ID granted access to a loading bay, and then they were hurrying through a graveyard of ships. Twenty miles ahead, the portal to open space loomed large. The further out they went, the more modern the ships became. It was clear that upon entry, staff parked on the nearest available launchpad and then rode the holoboards into the complex. But the boards weren’t active right now. For a spaceport, it was eerily quiet. Just the two of them, searching for something, only Trilli knew what.

 

Lora guessed that confiscated transports were stored here as well as staff-owned ones. There were some real wrecks at the back, and some opulent starliners, which were too big for anything except an intergalactic cruise. Trilli’s head was turning constantly, searching the rows, and Lora began to wonder what she had picked for an escape vehicle. It would need a _lot_ of cannons.

 

They completely passed by several likely contenders in terms of speed and capacity. Lora stole ships for a living, she had a pretty good idea of what might work. Then she realized she was getting her hopes up, and that wouldn’t do.

 

They walked a little further on before Trilli stopped dead beside a broken down Deonida Classica. She squinted at some writing on the side before shaking her head and backing away. She moved one row along, double-checked something in her notes, and clicked her fingers

 

“There!” She exclaimed, under her breath. Evidently satisfied she’d found the right one, Trilli pulled down the hatch and scampered up the ladder, into the tiny buggy. Lora didn’t follow her immediately, extremely doubtful.

 

Trilli popped her head back out, upside down, and frantically waved Lora aboard.

 

Taking a fortifying deep breath, Lora reminded herself that escaping convicts couldn’t be choosers, and hoisted herself up. Once she’d closed the hull beneath her and straightened, Lora caught a glimpse of Trilli shoving something large and black under her seat.

 

She turned to Lora and jerked her head sideways, patting the seat beside her. The one with the controls.

 

“I’m the pilot, then?” Lora gulped.

 

“Lora, you’re a pirate. This is what you do.” Trilli was right, of course. But she’d never flown in something this small, a craft so utterly devoid of defences. And she’d never outrun an entire IPC force from their actual base.

 

But what choice did she have? She sat down at the wheel and strapped herself in.

 

Trilli seemed to have made herself comfortable. “Alright. Get us out of here.”

 

“This is crazy. Are you sure about this?”

 

Trilli waved a trembling hand. “Just drive. I’ll explain later.”

 

Lora paused with her hand over the button. “Trilli. As soon as we fire this up, they’re gonna come for us.”

 

“I don’t care. We have to try.” She was red-faced, but determined.

 

Sure enough, the moment flames erupted from the tiny ship, the giant portal ahead glowed from white to red.

 

Lora gave into her instincts and flew.

 

\---

 

She should have known Trilli’s judgement was sound. The tiny two-seater worked in their favour.

 

The IPC fleet were so big they kept getting in each other’s way. Lora used every trick she had ever learned, darting between the disintegrator beams and jumping time tracks as often as she could without draining the miniscule fuel tank too quickly.

 

Halfway across the galaxy they ditched the ship and stole another, and another, and another, and another, until even Lora’s paranoia waned.

 

Sitting in a trading port on Sirius, dangling their feet in warm air and catching their breath, Lora finally permitted herself to believe that they had done it.

 

It was at this point that Trilli casually dipped her hand into the pocket of Lora’s stolen lab coat and retrieved a pouch full of stolen diamonds. “Looks like we’re set financially for a couple of years. What do you think?”

 

The level of Lora’s astonishment was so high that it could not be expressed. She went for something prosaic instead. “Just as well. You don’t have a job anymore.”

 

Trilli put the diamonds away again. “And… I still have that bounty for bringing you in alive.”

 

Lora frowned. “How can you? They will have drained your accounts the moment they realized you helped me escape.”

 

Trilli reached under her seat where she had stashed the black thing. It was a reinforced canvas bag. “That’s why I got this.” Lora realized it was full of cash.

 

“You didn’t.”

 

“I did. Five years working there. People owed me a lot of favours.”

 

“Trilli, I…” Lora found herself completely lost for words.

 

Trilli kissed her. “You don’t have to thank me. I want this.”

 

They cleaved to one another in a tight hug, clinging to each other for dear existence.

 

“Life on the run?” Lora asked into her shoulder. She leaned her head back to look in Trilli’s eyes, genuinely concerned.

 

Trilli smiled, slowly, slyly. “I just conned the Peace Corp out of half a million. I think I’m pretty suited to your lifestyle, don’t you?”

 


End file.
